I have the Variations in my ears right now. Iām a huge fan of Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa. For that kind of pop genre with a lot of full sub bass electronic instruments, the Monarch and Variations excel and are the only sets Iāll grab to listen. Get ready ready for end-game female vocal quality and the best sub bass in the game.
The Variations is one of my highest recommendations. Buy it especially if you love sub bass.
I just received Spinfit CP155 medium and large tips for my Moondrops yesterday and I decided to try them out. The CP155 fits the nozzle perfectly which is the widest nozzle Iāve ever seen. CP145 work but CP155 are the appropriate size.
As for the LZ A7, it is the best IEM to begin the hobby with because of how many variations of tuning it can do and do extremely well. It is by far the best IEM that does the flexibility of switches and tuning filters properly. Itās not one of my favorite sounding IEMs (comparing to much more expensive sets in my collection) because I am not a fan of the sound of the ceramic driver but overall itās no slouch. I wish I had the LZ A7 when I entered the hobby. It would have helped me understand different tunings and helped me get to what I prefer much faster than buying 20+ sets.
A7 is the versatility king, where as I believe the variation is specializing a bit more. So if your library is in the Variations strike zone, it should (hopefully) be an upgrade over the A7 (maybe not a true upgrade if thats what OP wants).
But if you are listening to a ton of different genres, the versatile A7 might edge out the Variations.
A note about the CP155 tips. Just tried them out this morning on the Variations.
I tried them on another IEM last night with poor results and wasnāt impressed because they are so long, they were touching my brain!
I have them in my ears with the Variations right now. These tips appear to be made for the Moondrop hybrid shell design. The tips slide on the nozzles perfectly and Iām experiencing end-game level comfort and everything sounds amazing. I think I enjoy the Variations even more now than I did with CP145! WOW!
Agreed, I wouldnāt choose to listen to the Variations with genres like metal or classic rock. That would make no sense. Rap, pop, electronic, dance, Variations is king. Anything sub bass focused or with female vocals.
Main problem about tribids. Monarch/Variations are too specialized, unless you like clinical tunning.
I gotta give it out that Variations sub-bass is amazing, even if I donāt love the set. I see it as a āfunā or āextra tribidā and not an all rounder, but thatās due to my library.
For pure pop, like Ariana, Dua Lipa, Gaga, etc, itās pretty good.
Canāt agree here but hey, everyoen likes different stuff!
My apologies. I didnāt realize there were Spinfits I didnāt have. I thought you were talking about the all black ones that seem to be very similar to CP155 but the nozzles are very short. I am old and confused. I donāt even know what those are called anymore.
Those were the tips that completely changed my opinion of the Variations from an IEM to use for some tracks only to an IEM that holds itās ground against the Oracle and beats it in some tracks.
It just did the same for me. I love the Variations and love it even more now that it is this comfortable and the seal and just everything is perfect. Had a wonderful time listening to music this morning.
Thank you for the rec @TkSilver sorry I was to much of an idiot not to realize I didnāt own them yet! DOH!
Agreed. The nozzle size is huge but itās meant to fit the Variations perfectly and that huge nozzle it has.
I just ordered another set of medium for my other Moondrops and I ordered a pair of small. Usually small do not fit me but these are so large and long, small might just do the trick. I donāt think anyone would need large unless theyāre a giant! lol
Not really with the 155, it might be slightly changing the shape of the staging a bit but not really decreasing it. (At least not in a noticeable way for me)
I donāt but I use Spinfits all the time. Spinfits give you a better seal than just about any other tip out there. Iām wondering if the āsoundstageā youāre describing is your tips allowing your inner ear to breath a bit more than Spinfits allow for?